The Zimbabwe Herald publishes a series of articles on abortion, homosexuality and condoms to prevent HIV
by International Campaign for Women's Right to Safe Abortion
June 23, 2017

In a series of three articles, the Zimbabwe Herald has reported widely differing views on the subject of abortion as an issue for Zimbabwe’s parliament, as a public health issue, as an issue of religion and morality, and as a source of suffering for women.

The first article was prompted by Hon Dr Ruth Labode, MP for Matabeleland North province and chairwoman of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care, calling for safe abortions to be allowed for unwanted pregnancies, in response to findings that 16% of maternal deaths in Zimbabwe were due to unsafe abortions and over half the deaths were among adolescents. According to the 2016 national adolescent fertility study, 9% of adolescents aged 10 to 19 years have ever been pregnant, the majority of whom were from rural areas. Dr Labode criticised government policy for only allowing post-abortion care as a “corrective procedure” when abortions could be made safe in the first place, as in other countries.